A setting device is used for aligning a shift transmission, when setting a shift lever in the interior relative to the transmission in the engine compartment, of fixing the shift lever in a specific position, in order to fasten the cable, which is used as the connection between the shift lever and the transmission, on the shift lever in a specific position and a specific length to the transmission. In order to achieve optimum setting or alignment of the shift transmission, upon the attachment of the cable on the shift lever, the shift lever is to be positioned in a neutral position between the first gear and the second gear.
The setting devices known up to this point typically have a main bearing shaft, which is mounted in a shift lever housing, and a setting element provided separately there from. The main bearing shaft is typically formed from a turned steel component and has a spherical bearing head and an oblong shaft adjoining thereon, the bearing head being extrusion coated by the plastic of the shift lever housing, in order to hold the main bearing shaft in a fixed position. The setting element is situated laterally offset to the main bearing shaft, the setting element being formed from a pin-shaped element, which can execute a purely translational movement to its central axis, which is implemented parallel to the longitudinal axis of the shift lever, in order to transfer the setting element into a position in which an alignment of the shift transmission can be performed. For this purpose, the setting element can hook in guide means mounted on the shift lever housing.
Because of the spacing between the main bearing shaft and the setting element, undesired torques and error tolerances may arise upon fixing of the cable on the shift lever, whereby it may occur that the shift lever is no longer located in the exact position upon fixing of the cable, so that the shift lever is no longer located exactly between the first and second gears upon alignment of the shift transmission, but rather is slightly displaced, which can result in unpleasant blocking during later driving operation or shifting during driving operation of the motor vehicle, when the driver wishes to shift into the reverse gear if the reverse gear is adjacent to the first gear. In addition, because of the forces applied to the shift lever during the setting or fixing of the cable on the shift lever, it may occur during the alignment that the setting element can slip out of the guide means if forces are applied to the shift lever parallel to the longitudinal axis thereof.
In view of the foregoing, at least one object is therefore to provide a setting device for aligning a shift transmission, which is distinguished by improved and particularly exact alignment of the shift lever relative to the transmission situated in the engine compartment.